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Bendy, Paper-Like Samsung Phones Due ‘In 2013’

You can roll it up, crumple it, and fold it in half. Samsung flexible phones are due in 2013.

Thin, paper-like, and bendable phones are being worked on by researchers currently, with a projected market release sometime next year. Prototypes of this new kind of phone have already captured the attention of the tech crowd at gadget shows and demonstrations over the past year, and these phones are a step closer to being in your pocket soon, reports the BBC.

The bendy phones are being worked on by numerous companies, including LG, Philips, Sharp, Sony and Nokia. However, South Korea mobile phone manufacturer Samsung seems to be the closest to actually releasing these phones to the public.

Samsung bendy smartphone prototypes use so-called flexible OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) technology and are hoped to be “very popular among consumers worldwide.”

Phone screens will be “foldable, rollable, wearable and more, [and] will allow for a high degree of durability through their use of a plastic substrate that is thinner, lighter and more flexible than… conventional LCD technology,” says a Samsung spokesperson.

The technology behind the bendy smartphone has limitless application. If the bendy Samsung phones prove popular, you might see flexible e-readers, tablets, and computers in the near future. The technology could also replace paper even further, as is could theoretically be used as a sort of “smart paper” substitute. Imagine a businessman’s briefcase filled with transparent documents with interactive displays.

“There are about 30 million flexible e-ink displays in the field today – the oldest working ones are from 2006,” says Sri Peruvemba of E-Ink. “They [are] well-suited for simple phones, memory and battery indicators, smart credit cards, wristwatches, and signs.”